Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 5-7-2026
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Public Policy Leadership
First Advisor
Melissa Bass
Second Advisor
Melissa Lynn Jones
Third Advisor
Cheryl Fergerson
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Like many states across the country, Mississippi’s foster care system has faced a shrinking pool of foster parents to care for the state’s most vulnerable children. When states do not have adequate numbers of foster parents, children are susceptible to negative outcomes such as developmental delays, broken attachments with adults, and extended stays in the system. This thesis seeks to understand what motivates individuals to become foster parents, how they experience the system, and what pressures influence their decision to remain fostering or close their doors. To place this research within the appropriate contexts, the thesis draws on literature from the national and state levels before incorporating primary, qualitative findings from semi-structured interviews conducted with foster parents across Mississippi. In total, seventeen foster parents took part in this study, sharing their motivations, experiences, and perspectives. Thematic analysis of their interviews revealed that Mississippi’s trends largely align with findings in the national literature: foster parents in the state overwhelmingly credit child-centered altruism and faith-based religious calling as their key motivators, while pointing to the foster parent-agency relationship as a prominent exit pressure. This thesis also provides nuanced insights into three key challenges faced by foster parents in the state: communication and information failures, a lack of administrative capacity and accountability, and gaps in resources and support that would make fostering more sustainable over time. These findings led to a key conclusion: that retention of foster parents should be viewed as a key reliability indicator of the state’s foster system performance. Based on these findings, this thesis outlines two policy recommendations focused on building enforcement infrastructure around existing state foster policies, as well as resource and support infrastructure in the form of a centralized, online portal for foster parents. Hopefully, the research and policy recommendations presented in this thesis will contribute to a greater understanding of Mississippi’s storied foster care system and influence meaningful reform to better support foster parents and children in the state.
Recommended Citation
Jenkins, Howell D. III, "Listen to Your Parents: An Exploration into Why Mississippi Foster Parents Enter, Stay in, and Exit the System" (2026). Honors Theses. 3386.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3386
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